Truss under attack after missing NFU date

RISHI Sunak’s campaign has hit out at frontrunner Liz Truss after she declined to attend a hustings organised by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU).

Farmers expect Ms Truss to take part in a hustings with the NFU in September, after she was initially accused of snubbing the organisation by deciding not to attend the event yesterday.

Her rival for the Tory leadership Mr Sunak did attend the event in Warwickshire, where he promised to lead the “most pro-farming and pro-countryside government this country has seen in decades”.

Mr Sunak’s team said Ms Truss’s absence “raises questions about her willingness to listen to the needs of farmers and the wider food industry”.

NFU president Minette Batters on Thursday told The Guardian that it was a “shame” Ms Truss did not want to attend the hustings.

Farmers have been among the groups angered by some of the post-Brexit trade deals championed by the Foreign Secretary, which they see as undercutting their livelihoods.

Ms Truss was also expected to be questioned about claims from Environment Secretary George Eustice, who supports Mr Sunak, that she had been resistant to putting animal welfare standards in UK trade deals.

Ms Batters said on Thursday: “We have written and had responses from both candidates asking them to outline their plans for British food and farming, which we have published online.

Yesterday, an NFU spokesperson said Ms Truss will now attend a hustings with the farming body on September 1.

The Truss campaign has been contacted for a response.

The Sunak campaign said the former chancellor had “announced that he will set a new food security target, aggressively champion local produce, ensure the sector has the labour it needs, and take time to negotiate trade deals in the best interests of British farmers”.

A spokesperson added: “He will support farmers to boost their productivity and profitability and protect our best farmland. Farmers are the lifeblood of our nation.”